Baton Rouge, La. - The special review committee overseeing the search for Baton Rouge's next chief of police has unveiled its top five candidates, marking a crucial step in the selection process.
The committee has named the following candidates as their top choices:
David Wallace: A dedicated BRPD Captain.
Sharon Douglas: A BRPD Sergeant with the added responsibility of Training Academy Director.
Myron Daniels: A seasoned BRPD Deputy Chief.
Thomas Glover.
Thomas Morse, Jr.: A BRPD Commander specializing in Training Services.
The final decision now rests with Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome.
Walt Green, a committee member, emphasized the importance of this decision, stating, "We have some issues we need to recover from and to cover. So, we think these five candidates, one of them, will lead us in the right direction."
The selection of these top five candidates comes after a rigorous evaluation process involving four rounds of interviews with a total of 19 candidates. Notably, two candidates, Conrad Joachim and Andrew Malveaux, withdrew their names from consideration before the list was finalized.
Committee members highlighted the qualities that set these finalists apart from the rest. Green explained, "Again, I think it was being innovative. I think they gave a great presentation. I think the experience of the five people we chose are some of the most qualified people. They have a lot of tenure, and they had a lot of good ideas, and they brought those ideas to us in a manner that we could all understand."
Outgoing Chief Murphy Paul recently announced his decision to delay his departure, allowing Mayor Broome ample time to find his successor. According to state law, the mayor has 60 days after the chief's departure to make a selection. Mayor Broome has made it clear that if none of the presented candidates meet her criteria, she is prepared to restart the search from scratch.
Nonetheless, committee members express confidence that the mayor will ultimately choose one of the candidates from the pool they have put forward. Michael McClanahan, another committee member, stated, "Baton Rouge should be proud that the next chief will come from this five. They should be able to rally around this group, whoever is going to be the next chief, and make Baton Rouge better. We all play a part."
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